A Review of Apple’s Autumn Announcements

Sep 10, 2015

At their autumn launch show on Wednesday, Apple announced the release of a few key products; the iPhone 6s, the iPad Pro, and the new Apple TV.

The iPhone 6 & 6s

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus don’t look dramatically different to the current iPhone 6, but they have a few key improvements – including a better camera. The main talking point is the addition of “3D touch”, which senses the pressure of your finger on the screen – allowing for a more intuitive user experience. This means you can do different things with variations in pressure, such as bringing up content previews. It’s primarily designed to reduce the number of taps you do on the screen.

The Apple TV

The new Apple TV has got its very own App Store, and also supports everyone’s favourite robot – Siri. The inclusion of Siri means that users are able to automatically rewind their programme if someone utters “what did he say?”. The slimline remote control has a touch-sensitive pad, which can be used in conjunction with voice recognition. Much of the demonstration featured Apple TV’s ability to play games, but it remains to be seen whether this device can disrupt a market dominated by Sony and Microsoft.

There’s still the rumour that Apple will release its own TV shows, but this hasn’t been confirmed from within as yet.

The iPad

The new super sized iPad has received mixed reviews, with many commentators likening the tablet to the Microsoft Surface – pure evil for Apple fans. Sales of iPads have been plummeting in recent months, with 19% fewer sold between October and June compared to that period in the previous year. However, Apple seek to breathe new life into this range, explicitly highlighting the iPad Pro’s suitability for enterprise. They want to replace your laptop – something that Microsoft aims to do with its Surface range.